![\"Los](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01knppwq0vnh4973qdxt.jpg\" "\\"Los")
<\/p>\nInjuries to Luka Don\u010di\u0107 and Austin Reaves at the end of the regular season have derailed the Lakers\u2019 title hopes. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
76ers<\/p>\n
Why they\u2019re eliminated: The 76ers have served a few reminders in recent weeks that, when healthy, this is a talented roster that can hang with most opponents. Does anybody reading this have faith they\u2019ll stay healthy<\/a>? Philadelphia should make for an entertaining playoff opponent, but any idea the key players can all stay on the court for two straight months in the physical gauntlet of playoff basketball is fanciful at best. And even if they do manage that minor miracle, one bizarre bout of inconsistency will sink their hopes. After a season full of such inconsistencies, we can\u2019t buy what Philly is selling.\u00a0<\/p>\n Raptors <\/p>\n Why they\u2019re eliminated: The Raptors could definitely prove to be a tough playoff out against the right first-round opponent, but a deep playoff run culminating in a title? A touch too optimistic for our liking. Even with a consistently strong defensive effort led by Scottie Barnes, the offense needs everything to go perfectly to produce at a championship-caliber level. There\u2019s just not enough room for error on that side of the floor. Toronto is close but not quite ready to make serious noise in the postseason.\u00a0<\/p>\n Rockets<\/p>\n Why they\u2019re eliminated: Kevin Durant and Alperen \u015eeng\u00fcn are a pair of quite talented individual scorers. The defense is physical and should prove a massive pain to play against with a postseason whistle. But the Rockets just don\u2019t have enough pieces to execute consistently when it matters most. Their offensive rating drops to the level of the Raptors\u2019 in the clutch and defenses can swarm Durant in the halfcourt because there isn\u2019t enough shooting to keep them honest. With the right draw in the first round Houston could win a series but have too many fundamental issues to make a deep run.\u00a0<\/p>\n Timberwolves<\/p>\n Why they\u2019re eliminated: The Timberwolves are limping into the postseason literally and figuratively. Anthony Edwards is battling a knee issue similar to the one that knocked Steph Curry out for two months. Minnesota has lost four of its last six games. And even with a fully healthy roster this team has struggled mightily to string quality stretches of basketball together. The Wolves have found plenty of ways to lose this year but not nearly enough ways to win and that makes it impossible to trust them.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cavaliers<\/p>\n Why they\u2019re eliminated: The Cavaliers are a great offensive team with worrying defensive lapses seemingly every other possession<\/a>. In other words, everything you\u2019d expect from a Donovan Mitchell-James Harden backcourt. The two have meshed well enough as scorers since Harden was traded to Cleveland ahead of the deadline but the defensive problems that accompany their production haven\u2019t been figured out. The Cavs are out of time to do so. Pair that with Harden\u2019s reputation as a playoff faller and Cleveland doesn\u2019t have a shot at a title.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lakers<\/p>\n Why they\u2019re eliminated: Unfortunately for the Lakers they are the last team to suffer elimination\u2014and it\u2019s entirely due to injury. Luka Don\u010di\u0107 and Austin Reaves are both out for a while<\/a> and will potentially miss the entire first round. If Los Angeles survives long enough to allow them to return, they will have to work their way back to playing shape in a second-round playoff series against either the 60-win Spurs or the reigning champion Thunder. Even with a fully healthy roster there were genuine questions about the Lakers\u2019 ability to hold up defensively against the best offensive teams they\u2019ll see in the West, as well as a lack of size on the front line. Now? They just about need a miracle to see that healthy roster in the postseason, much less win four series and a championship.\u00a0<\/p>\n Maybe LeBron James can lead L.A. to a first-round playoff series win<\/a> at 41 years of age. Maybe Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s Hail Mary treatment of his hamstring<\/a> allows him to return sooner than the 4-to-6 week timeline his injury usually comes with, and maybe he can immediately produce at superstar levels upon stepping back on the court. Maybe Reaves does the same after recovering from his own oblique injury. One of those things happening isn\u2019t impossible to see. But the Lakers need them all to happen to have even a prayer at running the West bracket. That will not happen, and thus Los Angeles will be watching from home as one of the below six teams wins a title this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n NBA championship power rankings6. Knicks Jalen Brunson is key to the Knicks\u2019 title hopes. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Last week\u2019s ranking: No. 7 The title case: The Knicks boast a very talented starting five that is quite difficult to stop offensively. Jalen Brunson is a proven No. 1 playoff option and the OG Anunoby\u2013Mikal Bridges combo is a defensive terror on the wing. New York is skilled on both ends and the bench has a few names capable of swinging a playoff game. For all their issues, the orange-and-blue should have a talent advantage in most series and that is the edge that often decides playoff games. Healthy with a roster less run-down than last season entering the playoffs, New York has the ability to win the East and make a run at this year\u2019s title.\u00a0<\/p>\n Why they aren\u2019t higher: For all that heralded talent, the Knicks haven\u2019t often shown it. There were deeply concerning signs of poor chemistry on both ends of the floor in March, which is supposed to be the month true contenders lock in and fine-tune what they do best before the postseason begins. New York did the opposite, showing the league its cracks run deep. <\/p>\n As one of the best clutch teams in the NBA stats-wise (and featuring a cold-blooded crunchtime operator in Brunson), the Knicks are capable of winning close games in the postseason. But their flaws can blow the game open before they can show off their late-game execution and that will sink them against the East\u2019s playoff competition eventually.\u00a0<\/p>\n 5. Nuggets A healthy Aaron Gordon will be a difference-maker for the Nuggets in the playoffs. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Last week\u2019s ranking: No. 6 The title case: Nikola Joki\u0107 has been absolutely majestic and should finish the season as the first player to ever lead the NBA in rebounds and assists per game<\/a>. As long as he\u2019s healthy, Denver has a shot. Jamal Murray enjoying his first All-Star campaign could lead to an even better postseason for an already proven playoff performer. Peyton Watson\u2019s emergence means the Nuggets have three varied yet capable three-and-D wings to throw out there depending on the matchup and Tim Hardaway Jr. has buoyed the bench far beyond expectations. It\u2019s a talented, experienced roster led by arguably the best player in the NBA.\u00a0<\/p>\n Why they aren\u2019t higher: The defense is a serious problem. The Nuggets will always struggle to put on elite performances on that side of the court as long as Joki\u0107 mans the middle, but he\u2019s gotten good enough that Denver can at least post respectable numbers against most opponents. Not this season. The defense ranks 21st in defensive rating and teams with bottom-10 defenses rarely manage to pull off championship runs. It\u2019s fair to say those numbers are affected by extended absences from Watson, Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun. But that just highlights the second concern\u2014health. The Nuggets have not enjoyed much injury luck this season and with the playoffs around the corner Watson is week-to-week. <\/p>\n A healthy and focused Denver team can push any team to the limit in a seven-game series but we haven\u2019t seen much of that team this season, which makes it hard to trust we\u2019ll see them when it matters most.\u00a0<\/p>\n 4. Celtics The Jays will carry the Celtics as far as they can in this year\u2019s postseason. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Last week\u2019s ranking: No. 4 The title case: Jayson Tatum\u2019s return has gone so well that the Celtics can enter the playoffs confident they employ two of the five best players in the conference between him and Jaylen Brown. That talent differential alone gives them a huge advantage over nearly every other team in the bracket. Add in the coaching lift from Joe Mazzulla after a masterful season on the sideline and Boston enjoys a much larger margin for error than most teams. <\/p>\n The Celtics win games by owning possession battle while getting up threes in bunches and playing tremendous team defense. That\u2019s as good a formula for playoff basketball as any and there\u2019s a chance they have another level to hit; they\u2019re 13\u20132 with Tatum in the lineup and he isn\u2019t scoring at nearly the level he was pre-injury.\u00a0<\/p>\n Why they aren\u2019t higher: Tatum has been awesome for a guy who tore his Achilles last May but isn\u2019t quite at his former All-NBA peaks and it\u2019s fair to wonder if he\u2019s capable of doing so in the playoff basketball pressure cooker. And if he can\u2019t, do the Celtics have enough juice to make it to June and battle whoever emerges from the bloodbath in the West? Brown\u2019s ability to step up isn\u2019t in question but Boston will otherwise have to lean heavily on players with zero meaningful playoff experience for production outside its two stars, most importantly Neemias Queta but extending to wings Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh. <\/p>\n Tatum and Brown make for a good enough duo to ensure the C\u2019s have a shot in every game, but won\u2019t be overwhelming favorites in the same way they were the last few years.\u00a0<\/p>\n 3. Pistons J.B. Bickerstaff has the Pistons locked in with the playoffs around the corner. | Mike Watters-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Last week\u2019s ranking: No. 3 The title case: The Pistons boasted one of the NBA\u2019s best defenses all season long as well as a true MVP candidate in Cade Cunningham. That\u2019s a title-winning formula no matter the context. And while Cunningham\u2019s injury was an awful stroke of luck, Detroit not only survived but thrived in his absence. The roster was forced to figure out how to score without their conductor and the dividends may be enormous given that was the biggest issue plaguing the Pistons for most of the year. And it\u2019s looking more and more likely they\u2019ll have their star back for the postseason; Cunningham was elevated to questionable for Wednesday night\u2019s contest and appears to have an outside shot to return for the final few regular season games as an initial ramp-up back to full speed. <\/p>\n With him in the fold Detroit plays a brand of basketball perfectly built for the playoffs and will enjoy the easiest possible path after securing homecourt advantage until the Finals. Deeeetroit Baaskeeetballl is back and expectations are, rightfully, sky-high.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Why they aren\u2019t higher: if Cunningham is any less than his best the Pistons will still struggle to beat the best teams they\u2019ll face. At this point it seems probable he\u2019ll be back to full strength by the time Detroit faces a non-play-in team but that won\u2019t be a certainty until we see it with our own eyes. Even if he is at his best, and even if the team figured it out despite his absence, offensive production still looms as a fatal flaw. Beyond all that, this Detroit roster hasn\u2019t actually won a playoff series before and that experience matters quite a bit when they have to win four in order to raise a trophy. The Pistons figure to be an extremely tough out but are not without their issues even after their best season in a long, long time. <\/p>\n 2. Spurs Victor Wembanyama\u2019s first taste of postseason basketball is nearly here. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Last week\u2019s ranking: No. 2 The title case: Victor Wembanyama. That\u2019s the start and end of the Spurs\u2019 case to win a title<\/a> way ahead of schedule this year. The superstar center is an all-consuming force who can dominate both ends of the floor; the fact that his teammates have learned how to best take advantage of his freakish talents makes San Antonio ridiculously tough to score on and capable of putting up big numbers on the scoreboard. Stephon Castle has taken an exciting leap and remains a thorny defender. Keldon Johnson may end up the Sixth Man of the Year. The Spurs\u2019 rotation is filled with players who lean entirely into their roles and coached up well by Mitch Johnson. They rank top five in both offensive and defensive rating. They hit 60 wins. They check just about every box a title contender needs to check.\u00a0<\/p>\n Why they aren\u2019t higher: In most years the Spurs would be No. 1 but the defending champions in Oklahoma City have matched them win-for-win since February so they fail to claim the top spot as a result. More broadly, San Antonio\u2019s only flaw on the surface appears to be inexperience; only three regular rotation players have played any postseason basketball and only two of those players have seen past the first round. That\u2019s not one of those things that matters against most teams but against the best of the West in a Game 7 with the clock winding down? That\u2019s when it matters a lot. Whether Wembanyama will be able to hold up physically in a playoff setting is valid to ask from where we currently stand. De\u2019Aaron Fox hasn\u2019t really played like a former All-Star making $37 million this year. But those are questions, not deep-set concerns, as the regular season winds to a close.\u00a0<\/p>\n 1. Thunder The Thunder\u2019s best three players are healthy and ready to roll for the playoffs. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Last week\u2019s rankings: No. 1 The title case: The Thunder are the defending champions, employ at worst the second-best player in the NBA and should hit the postseason fully healthy. What reason do we have to doubt their ability to win it all? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been magnificent yet again as a scorer and the depth of talent in Oklahoma City has been on full display all season long thanks to injuries continually nagging the roster\u2014as have the skills of coach Mark Daigneault, arguably having a better campaign than when he won Coach of the Year last season. The Thunder will beat you to a pulp, force turnovers on even the most careful of teams and run the floor at every opportunity. It doesn\u2019t matter who they play\u2014this team is a woodchipper and only the best, most talented, disciplined rosters<\/a> have a shot to slow them down in a seven-game series.\u00a0<\/p>\n Why they could lose: The only genuine concern for OKC is the Jalen Williams situation. Williams proved enormously important as a secondary scorer during last year\u2019s title run and missed over half this season with a hamstring injury. If he can stay healthy and is at full go by the time the Thunder run into the serious contenders in the West then the team will be even more dangerous than they\u2019ve shown this year\u2014a frightening proposition. If Williams falters, though, the Thunder\u2019s margin for error shrinks quite a bit and the two Game 7s they had to play during last year\u2019s run suggests they don\u2019t win games quite as easily as other runaway favorites in the past.\u00a0<\/p>\n Otherwise, though, it\u2019s the same situation as last year. The Thunder have been the best team in the league all season long and, while they are capable of losing, it requires a near-perfect stretch to win four of seven against this team. They are officially our leaders in the clubhouse to win a second straight NBA championship.\u00a0<\/p>\n More NBA from Sports Illustrated<\/p>\n Listen to SI\u2019s NBA podcast,\u00a0Open Floor, below or on\u00a0Apple<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Spotify<\/a>. Watch the show on\u00a0SI\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome to the final edition of Sports Illustrated\u2019s weekly NBA championship power rankings.\u00a0 Since the All-Star break we\u2019ve…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":594047,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-594046","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-basketball","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-basketball","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=594046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/594047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=594046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=594046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=594046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Jalen](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01knnh1d3y0n0s286p2f.jpg\" "\\"Jalen")
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Record entering April 8: 51\u201328<\/p>\n![\"Aaron](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01knnh3tentvmprx0j56.jpg\" "\\"Aaron")
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Record entering April 8: 51\u201328\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Jayson](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01knnh74fhv14qbw2bj3.jpg\" "\\"Jayson")
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Record entering April 8: 54\u201325\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"J.B.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01knnhhwy302ssw37anm.jpg\" "\\"J.B.")
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Record entering April 8: 57\u201322<\/p>\n![\"Victor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01knnhna1rq22wzn0eeb.jpg\" "\\"Victor")
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Record entering April 8: 60\u201319<\/p>\n![\"Thunde\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01knnhpp998k500kyy0w.jpg\" "\\"Thunde\\"")
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Record entering April 8: 63\u201316<\/p>\n